US issues health alert warning new parents about parechovirus – signs, symptoms in babies
- Although not new to the US, there have been multiple reports of infections since May – symptoms can include fever, sepsis, seizures and meningitis
- The virus has multiple strains, but PeV-A3 is most commonly associated with severe disease in newborns, the elderly and immunocompromised people
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a health alert warning parents and paediatricians that the potentially dangerous parechovirus pathogen is circulating.
The agency said it has received multiple reports of infections since May and encouraged healthcare providers to test for it when patients present certain symptoms.
The CDC said most of the reports entail the PeV-A3 strain, which is commonly associated with severe disease. The agency did not say which states reported infections or whether there were any deaths associated with the virus.
Parechoviruses are common childhood pathogens similar to enteroviruses such as the poliovirus, said Dr Rick Malley, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
There are four types of the virus, of which only PeV-A is known to cause disease in humans. PeV-A has multiple strains, but PeV-A3 is most commonly associated with severe disease in newborns, the elderly and immunocompromised people, experts said.
Parechoviruses are not new to the USA, Malley said, but surveillance was limited until a few years ago. So it’s unclear if they’re more prevalent compared with previous years.